Home Sweet Vegas
by 2-huge-tiva-shippers-and-mary
Summary: Wendy Sims had been living in Portland for several years, but she couldn't let her past behind her and move on. Then one day, she received a phone call that required her going back to Vegas...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: And I'm back (again). **

**This story has just been sitting around my computer for almost a year. It is my first story in the CSI fandom so I hope that the characters don't seem OOC.  
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**Disclaimer: If I owned CSI, Grissom and Sara would have never divorced, Greg and Morgan would be together and Wendy would have never left. Plus, Brown would not have died. So no, I don't own a thing.**

**Also, I apologise in advance for any mistakes I've made because 1. English is not my first or even second language and 2. I haven't watched CSI in a long time and some facts might be wrong.**

**Enjoy!**

_4 years._

It has been 4 whole years since Wendy Sims accepted a job in Portland, Oregon. 3 years since she quit her old job in Las Vegas, Nevada. 3 years that she hasn't talked to anyone from the lab. Well, except for Catherine, whom she saw a few months ago on a joint FBI-Portland Police Department. That meeting brought up some old memories including the one when Wendy told her about her resignation.

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><p><em>"Come in." Catherine said when she heard the knock on the door<em>

_"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Wendy asked nervously. _

_"Sure. Is there a problem?" she asked removing her glasses. Wendy didn't respond immediately. Instead, she took a seat and kept staring at floor. "Hey, you know that you can talk to me." Catherine said while making her way from behind her desk to the vacant sit opposite Wendy's. Wendy raised her hand, her eyes full of tears threatening to fall any second. "I was offered a new job." _

_"You did? Congratulations. Where?" _

_"At the crime lab in Portland." _

_"With your sister?" _

_Wendy nodded in response. _

_"Have you accepted yet?" _

_"No, not yet. I wanted to tell you first so that you could find a replacement. I would not like to leave you short-handed." _

_"You wouldn't. Does Hodges know?" _

_Wendy's head snapped. "No, why would he? You're the first person to find out." _

_"Ok, ok. Don't bite. I just asked because I know that you two are close, that's all. So, when do you leave?" asked Catherine standing up. _

_"Next week, probably. I don't know yet." she said copying Catherine's actions. _

_"Let me know." she said pulling her into a hug. "And talk to Hodges. The guy is in love with you, he has the right to know." _

_"I... I don't know." replied Wendy pulling away and walking out of the office._

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><p>David Hodges. A big part of her life and probably the most important one. If you asked them what was their relationship, they would say it was a friendly one.<p>

From Wendy's part, it was not. She has feelings for him. The kind of feelings that gave her butterflies in her stomach every time he smiled at her or a jolt of electricity when his gloved-dressed fingers accidentally brushed against hers. She did give into her feelings once. It was more of a subconscious move but a desirable one nonetheless.

It was the day she and Henry were supposed to go out on a date and she pulled every prank that she could think of on Henry so that he would cancel the date because she only his offer to make Hodges jealous. Not only wasn't he jealous but he also took the blame for the pranks without asking anything from Wendy in return. That moment she realised that her feelings towards him went beyond friendly. And she kissed him. It didn't last long but it was long enough for her to get a taste of him and make her want more of him, of the kiss, of them together. Denying it would be the understatement of the century. Maybe of the past three centuries. She definitely wanted more, but she also wanted more from her job.

Her dream was not to remain a lab tech for the rest of her career. She wanted to work on the field, to become a CSI. Her job in Las Vegas did not offer her that opportunity, the job in Portland did.

So she had to make a choice. Be a lab tech in Vegas next to Hodges or be a CSI in Portland with her sister. As much as she liked sunny Vegas and the people who lived there, she loved her career. She is not a selfish person, she is a person who has goals and it was about time she achieved them. And that is why she decided to persuade her career in Oregon. She told everyone except for Hodges. She kept him in dark until the last possible moment because if she had told him earlier he would have tried to talk her into staying and she couldn't. Chances like that one in Portland came once in a lifetime and she was smart enough to grab it even if that meant that her heart would suffer. She didn't care. She wanted to make her dream come true with any cost.

And then came the farewell. Catherine knew some people in the Portland lab and some phone calls, Henry gave her some tips and advice. There were a few tears from Mandy and a couple more female techs she was friends with, a lot of hugs and wishes. Until she told David. That was the worst part. She had considered many times to leave without saying goodbye to him but there was something inside her that wanted to see him one last time.

And she did so. Those were the worst ten minutes of her entire life. Saying goodbye to him felt like someone was putting a knife through her heart and ripping it into a million pieces and not all the glue in the world would have been able to repair it. But she had made a choice and she had to live with it.

The first half a dozen months were a series of training classes and by the end she had become really good at using a gun. She succeeded in her job too, gaining the respect of the other CSI's and so she concentrated on the job and only the job. That was until she met a guy, Steve.

Steve was everything a woman would ever want from a man. He was handsome, funny, a gentleman always complimenting her and a great lover. But he ruined everything when he proposed. You know the whole cliché watching the sunset and the bending on one knee . She lost it. She loved him but wasn't in love with him. There is an enormous different between those two phrases. One she realised too late. So she denied because in the end they would end up miserable. So she politely declined and explained to him that she was in love with someone else and saying yes would be a huge mistake. He took it better than she expected him to and they broke up in a very civilised way and as it turned out, Steve became her best friend and they spend a lot of time together.

Her life at the lab became dull and boring. Case after case, murder after murder she felt that something was missing, something that she just couldn't put a finger on it until she got a phone call that made everything clear to her.

"Hallo?" she greeted.

"Wendy Sims?" said a familiar voice over the other end of the line. "I'm BD Russell, from the Las Vegas Crime Lab."

"Russell. Yes, I remember you. Where do I owe this pleasure?"

"I've decided to retire, which means that my team needs a new member. I didn't want to bring a stranger so I thought about you. I'm offering you a job as a CSI."

"So, let me get this straight. You want me to rejoin the lab as a CSI this time?"

"Yes I am."

"Then yes I accept."

"Good. I expect you to be here in two weeks. We will be in touch. Enjoy your afternoon." he said and hung up.

Only when the line went dead did she come back to reality. "What did you just do?" a voice in her hand asked. "You accepted a job in Las Vegas" replied another voice that sounded much like Hodges.

"Oh my God, David. I'm going to see David again. I can't do this. I can't." she said to herself.

"Yes you can" sais the Hodges-like voice. "This is what has been missing from your life and you know it. You miss me"

The voice was right. She did miss him. A lot. There was no reason to deny it. The fact the she was going to meet him again made her feel over the moon, on cloud nine and any other expression used to describe happiness. Then she thought about her sister Vera who would be really devastated by her decision to go back to Las Vegas.

But frankly, Wendy didn't give a damn. They would still talk on the phone on a daily basis much like they did before she moved to Portland. Also, she hated the rainy and cold weather and craved for Nevada's warmth. She immediately called her sister who was, as she had predicted, sad to learn that her sister was leaving but she understood and accepted her decision. Next, she went to the lab and handed in her resignation to her superior, Mark Johnson.

The next week passed really quickly. She didn't realise when she booked the ticket, packed her stuff or said goodbye to her colleagues.

Next thing she knew, Vera was dropping her off at the airport and she was boarding the plane for good old _Vegas..._

**TBC...**

**So what do you think?**

**Until next time**

**~F**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm so sorry! I know that I was supposed to update yesterday but my computer was acting weird. **

**I want to thank all of you for reading and reviewing. **

**Enjoy!**

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><p>A six-hour flight, a headache and a back pain later, Wendy landed in Las Vegas.<p>

It felt good to be back home. Yes, she might be from Portland, but the past few years she's learnt that home is not a city or a house, it is the person that you care the most. And only that person can make you feel like you're truly home. She had yet to meet a person who made her feel like that. (She tried to ignore the little voice in her head that kept telling her that she already knew who that person was.)

She passed through the passport check and retrieved her luggage. She then got out of the airport only for the sun and the Las Vegas warmth hit her. It was almost 7 o'clock in the afternoon, but the sun was still present and casting its shiny golden rays. She closed her eyes and socked up as much sunshine as she could. It felt like heaven compared to Portland's rainy weather. She could have stayed like that forever had she not been that tired. So she opened her eyes and caught a cab.

She gave the driver the address of her new apartment. Nick had texted her the day before with the address. He was the only one besides Russell who knew about her arrival. He was also going to take over as team supervisor now.

He was the one who found it. The only person who knew she was coming was Nick, who would take over Russel's position. He had rented her an apartment close to the lab. He is also the one who will pick her up tomorrow and drive her to work.

She arrived at her apartment two hours later. It was on the third floor of a ten story building. It had two bedrooms, one bathroom and the living room was connected to the kitchen. It was nothing big, but she liked it. It was cozy.

Then she ordered some italian, had a much-needed shower,and finally surrendered to a deep sleep.

She must had been really exhausted because next thing she knew, was her alarm clock going off next to her. She looked at the clock. It was 7 o'clock and Nick would pick her up in an hour. She got up, had a shower again, had breakfast, got dressed, made her bed and other chores around her new place and then waited.

Ten minutes later, she heard a car horn. She looked out of the window and saw Nick waiting in his car. Quickly she grabbed her purse, locked the door behind her and got in the elevator.

"Long time, no see." Nick said while stepping out of his car to embrace her.

"Yes, I know. I'm happy to be back." she replied, giving him a smile.

"C'mon let's go. You don't want to be late on your first day back to work."

"I certainly don't." Wendy replied with a laugh.

In the ride they talked about the weather, politics, sports, Wendy's work back in Portland, the two new women in the team, how they have both seen Catherine since she joined the FBI, how he was the one who suggested her to Russell and so on.

"Wendy, is that you?" Greg asked once he stepped out of his car and approached her.

"Yes Greg, it's me." she replied, accepting his hug.

"What brings you around here?" he asked, curious about his old co-worker's appearance.

"I'm here for work. I'm the new girl." she said shyly.

"Really? I didn't know. I'm glad we won't have to work with a newbie."

"Morning guys." Sara said, who appeared right behind them. "Wendy?" she stopped and did a double-take.

"Good morning, Sara."

"What are you doing here? I thought you were in Portland." she asked.

"I was, until Russell offered me a job here, and I accepted it."

"I'm glad you are back." Sara said and hugged her.

"Thank you."

"Can we join the party too?" Artie asked, accompanied by Henry.

"Sure." Wendy replied.

"Wendy!" the both exclaimed in unison.

"Yes, it's me!"

"What are you doing here?" Henry said laughing.

"I accepted the job."

"That's great news." Artie said.

"Yes, we've missed you around here." Henry added.

"Yeah, 'cause no one else could handle Hodges like you did." Greg commented, which made all of them laugh.

The smile died on Wendy's lips. Hodges, of course. She would have to see him eventually.

"I would really like to sit and chat, guys, but I have a meeting with Russell, so if you excuse me." she said.

There was a chorus of 'Of course' and promises to see each other before she entered the lab.

Even more people greeted her and recognised her before she reached Russell's office. Somewhere in between, Nick received a phone call and had to leave, leaving her on her own. Quickly, she found Russell's office and knocked on the door. It hit her then that the last time she knocked on that door was to resign. She didn't get to dwell on her thoughts as she heard Russell talk.

"Come on in." Russell said. "Sims, you are late."

"I know and I'm sorry. It won't happen again, I promise. It's just that I was stalled by all the people who greeted me ." she replied, quite embarrassed.

"I understand." he said. "Have a seat."

She stayed there for nearly two hours as the discussed her shifts and payment, amongst other things. After signing her contract, he introduced her to the two new addition to the team Morgan and

was also shown to her locker and was given her vest, which had her last name written on it.

She felt like she had made the right choice to return back to this lab. It was where she began her career and where she wanted to end it. She has to admit that at her job in Portland she gained experience and skills, but she always felt like there was a void in her heart. She was never truly happy. Not even in her relationship with Steve.

But now it was time to forget about her past and focus on the future that laid out in front of her.

Only when she was preparing for bed did she realise that she had not seen Hodges during the few hours she spent at the lab. While she had met with all lab techs, old and new ones, the one she desperately wanted to was nowhere to be seen. She was tempted to go into his lab a few times but she could never get her feet to cooperate.

Maybe tomorrow.

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><p>"That's weird." Hodges thought to himself.<p>

His morning had started like any other that day. Everything was normal until he arrived at work. Not only did he have a feeling that something big was going to happen but every time he entered a room, people would stop talking. He was used to people talking about him behind his back, it wasn't something new. It was the look they gave him that troubled him. They looked at him like they knew something he didn't. Which was impossible because he was always the first to find out about everything new that happened in the lab.

Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had missed out on something really important.

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><p><strong>I know, I know no wedges reunion. Don't worry, that's going to happen next chapter I promise. <strong>

**Until next time**

**~F **


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